Woman's Struggle with Killer Overheard by Mom

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A phone call between a Rancho Bernardo woman and her mother in Ohio Thursday afternoon ended with sounds of a struggle, a scream and a dial tone.

San Diego police officers, responding to a call from the Ohio mother worrying about her daughter, found a woman's body inside her apartment in the 15900 block of Avenida Venusto.

The 28-year old woman was reportedly in the parking lot of the quiet complex and on the phone with her mother about 4:45 p.m. when the mother heard a man's voice, sounds of a struggle and her daughter screaming before the line went dead, San Diego police Lt. Kevin Rooneytold the North County Times.

Officers used a master key to enter the woman's corner apartment on the bottom floor of a three-story building. All homicide detectives will say is that they found the woman dead inside with "trauma to her torso."

Investigators immediately closed off the crime scene and started questioning the neighbors and the mother to find out if any other information was overheard. They requested a search warrant and are trying to determine if the woman had any relationships that may have lead to an altercation.